The Labor enquirer., 1887-04-16
THE EP|sTlEs OF RADICAL JACK,
THE REVELATIONS OF A TRAMP
From the Chicago Labor Enquirer.
EpIsrLx II.

ErfsTLx III.
Behold; I, John, have had dream, and
this was the manner thereof. dreamed
that all who work with the plow, and with
the hammer, and with the axe, and with
all manner Of tools, for their daily bread,
we're commanded 10y those who occupy
the chief seats, and who sit in high places)
TO wear gags In their mouths, and chains
Of iron around their necks. And, 10 and
behold, I dreamed that !, John, being a
hover of wood and drawer of water, was
commanded to. take. unto himself gag,
and to chew ON II; and that told the hir-
cd lawmakers and their hired officers that
I'd be hanged irst,and then wouldn't.
whoreupon-as Idreamed-I was seized
by gang Of club-men, passed on to the
hang man, and prepared for aspeedy des-
patch. The rope was round my neck, and
tho bolt Of the scafYold was about to be
drawn, when I awakened, cramped and
sore, on tho bench In the boiler-room.
Ny hoss-Sam Burdick, the hreman-is
a Christian He gave me breakfast and
directed me'to transient job in whole
sale grocer's warehouse. am now sta
toned In the cellar, and am to act as
Jumper In general. My first work was to
TO blend molasses, which Is done by mix
ing two grades together TO make third
or three grades to make fourth. II Is
sticky Job and, suspect I shall become
waterproof all over. l am glad, however,
that II Is not fly time.
The proprietor Of the grocery is said to
be three-fold millionaire. He Is paying
me at the rate Of $500 year. II that Is
enough for man to live on, then my en-
ployer has, already, enough to keep him
six thousand years, without reckoning any
thing for interest, profit, or any other
form Of increase by use or loan of his
money.
No man can honorably earn three mil
lions, one million, or tenth Of million
dollars, even In three-score years and ten
He acquires IL either by paying too little
or charging too much, for the commodi'
ties no deals In.
Did you ever consider, seriously, what
riches meant They, inevitably, imply
poverty.
Suppose that whom all the people Of the
world awakened, tomorrow morning, eacf
person found himself 70 be the owner OF
hundred.millioh dollars. Would every
body be rich or poori please stop read
ing awhile and consider that question:
don't want you to learn as parrots
learn, but to think for yourselves. And
am not going to Offer you any chromos
or tinsmith's jewelry, for first or any an
swers to my problems. (Bye the bye
Why don't some bible-problem frauds asl
for the book, chapter and verso in which
one Of tho bible heroes Is reported to have
made bdf In future epistle I'll tel
you whore you can nnd them.)
Whom you wish 10 tackle some problem
choose . useful ono. Don't wear out you
brains on an enigma" Of which my IA
1853, Q" Is Ounce, which, being inter
presed, 10 the correct appellation OF thu
author Of the enigma. Not that ! am op
posed to recreation, or diversion, but tina
I consider all mere "pastime"-or pass
tims-is absolutely wicked, and the wore
itsslf proof positive Of extremely wrong
conditions in any society where 1t can b
accurately used.
Yet play chess, and checkers, some
times. "a shoemaker won four games on
Of ave from me, last night, with th'
"double-cornsr.") But I play for recrea
ton and never TO pass time. IT passes
quickly enough, oomrsdes.) Besides,
don't set myself up % a model, and hal
of the time I am preaching at myself al
much % at you.
The Political economists tell rs We MAJ
got rich BY thrift. really don't want Il
be rich, but supposins I did, and couls
save svsry cen, Of my wages, figure ~
that I should have 10 work and save 6,oo'
years 70 accumulats three million dollars
Sam, The fireman, Whose full-dres'
nams is Samuel PHILIPPE has been reading
this spistiA and he says: 'It's too dry
Jack; TOO dry. You must have been copy